Spyro: Beat Down
by Roogs
Summary: Everyone has a tipping point. With Dark Gems, monstrous creatures, voices in your head, and the true origin the Sorceress all coming to the fore, Spyro and Bianca are about to see just how far they can be pushed. Hunter/Bianca and Spylora featured
1. Chapter 1

I've wanted to write this story for a long time. Spyro was my childhood (well, that and dinosaurs :P ). This takes place in the original continuity (which IMO only includes Spyros 1-3), though I've retconned several elements, mostly to make our intrepid purple lizard at more of a disadvantage, and also to make the story a bit more realistic (as realistic as a story about a tiny purple dragon saving the world can be)

1) Dragons are quadrupedal (its better this way).

2) The whole storyline of Spyro 1 was a test, since the dragons pretty much outright stated several times.

3) Spyro, though he is known for his achievements, isn't a celebrated hero. He's kind of like a law enforcer (I'll explain it).

I'll also be incorporating elements from LoS and AHT, you'll catch on. ;)

…... 

No one had foreseen how booming the Forgotten World's tourist trade would be once the other realms' had learned of its existence. The Super Bonus World was abuzz with activity, with all manner of mice, faun, hippo, and even the occasional dragon.

In many ways, Bianca was proud of the change that had occurred in her homeland. After the Sorceress had kicked the bucket, and dragons now moved freely between the realm and this one, all the _magic _had returned, both literally and figuratively. The damage that seemed irreparable was slowly healing. Even the cold of the Super Bonus World felt better.

Enough reminiscing though, Bianca had work to do. Glancing around the main tower's tall inner sanctum, she was amazed at how many scrolls and spell books the deceased witch had left behind. Pile upon pile of ancient manuscripts, some of it dating back to the time before the power of portal's were harnessed. She was lucky Spyro hadn't completely destroyed the tower when he shot the Sorceress down. Admittedly, she had helped him out a bit by boosting his saucer's power while weakening the Sorceresses'.

_ My only regret, _she thought, _is that the witch isn't here to teach me how to READ this stuff._ Indeed, most of the books were written in a language that predated even the dragon's antique form of speaking and writing. It would take months for her to get the basics down and even then she would probably only be able to pick out a few key sentences. _I might wanna ask Nestor for help._ _He's pretty much the only dragon that'll listen to me. Lord knows Spyro won't._

Perusing even farther into the archives, she noticed a sudden rise in temperature. _Must be getting close to the lava. Or whatever the purple goo that kills you is called._ Hidden behind a canopy of scrolls and books, Bianca did see some lava, in a semi-circle. But this is not what surprised her.

Behind the semi-circle of lava was a large altar, and above it, spinning free of gravity was a black gem. Bianca narrowed her eyes. Black gems were of not unheard of, but to see one floating in midair was... odd. Jumping over the lava pit (she _was _a rabbit), Bianca cautiously approached the gem. _Just a light tap. _Lifting her finger, she gently laid her palm against the gem's surface.

Bad idea.

Dark purple electricity shuttered out of the gem, shocking her hand. Frightened, Bianca backed off and watched as the lightning danced around the gem. She cocked her head to the side. _Interesting. _She shouldn't be all that surprised. The witch _did _have a lot of potentially doom-day causing artifacts lying around. She'd come back to this later. For now, she had some studying to do. _Not like its anything important._

…...

"For the last time, there are no free refills. Now please, go away, if you will."

"Sir, you don't understand-" The diode spoke in a coarse voice.

"Oh, I think I **do** understand. You're trying to swindle me out of my good, hard earned, money. ME. An honest, fair, noble bourgeoisie. How dare you sir. How dare you!"

"But I'm literally dying of thirst..."

"Maybe you shouldn't have left Hurricos in the first place." Moneybags huffed condescendingly. He didn't have time to deal with this commoner's concerns, he had a business to run. Selling fake artifacts (and refreshments!) to _Desert Ruins'_ treasure hunters wasn't an easy gig.

"Please..." The tiny diode begged before collapsing into a fit of coughing.

The bear rolled his eyes. "Oh, how dramatic. Now, please go." He turned around, returning to dusting off various knick knacks he had discovered in the sand. He planned to mix and match them together, and then put down some hieroglyphic jibber-jabber. Those fool treasure hunters would be swindled out of their money in no time! He felt giddy just thinking about it!

In his giddy anticipation he blindly reached for a random rock to glue onto his latest "masterpiece". So it came as quite a shock when the rock he picked up shocked him.

"YEEOW!" He screamed (rather like a little girl) and jumped around, sucking on his wounded finger. In the process he knocked over several bottles of water, items that the tiny little diode happily picked up and scurried away with. "What?" The fumbled, catching a glimpse of the theft. "THIEF! THIEF! I HAVE BEEN SWINDLED!"

When no intrepid adventurer came to his aid, he sighed in disappointment. "Hmmph. Some law enforcement. What's the use of having a Chief of Police if he's not going to do anything about this realm's crime rate? You can guarantee I'm going to have a chat with that purple lizard. Yes, oh yes indeed!" He ranted, to no one in particular. "Now, where was? Oh yeah..." He looked back at the rock (upon closer inspection it was a gem of some sort) that had so _rudely_ shocked him. It was jet black, and purple electricity surrounded it, cackling furiously.

"Well this is curious. I'm sure those treasure hunters are going to pay _a lot_ for this one. Ohhh yeahhh, I'll be swimming in money!" The pompous ursine collapsed into another giddy fit of laughter.

The gem, while its current "owner" was busy giggling, began to grow. And grow. And grow some more. It grew until it began to break through the small shop's ceiling and its electricity began to repeatedly shock Moneybags.

"What the deuce?" The bear cried in pain and revulsion. He clumsily lifted himself over the counter and scurried out of his own shop.

"Oh dear..."

The last thing he saw before black out was his shop exploding in a burst of lightning and a monstrous red dragon streaking into the air.

…...

So what'd you think? I know its all a bit obscure right now, but as the story progresses all shall be revealed. BTW, there's gonna be some pretty obvious Hunter/Bianca and hints (just hints in this fic!) of Spyro/Elora. REVIEW, IT MAKES ME HAPPY!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to all who reviewed! The reason Spyro wasn't featured in the first chapter was so when he did make an appearance (in this chapter) it would a bit more of an impact. To those wondering, I think I'm going to keep Ripto dead in this story. He's kinda overused. :( And to whoever guessed that it was Red... damn you. :P But he's gonna be COMPLETELY different from how he was shown in AHT. Trust me on this.

Oh, and BTW the dragons are a bit downsized in this story so its easier to conceive them interacting with the various smaller creatures. Just an FYI.

The story is probably going to be a 50/50 split between Spyro and Bianca POV, to give it more perspective and it'll help me communicate the theme better (a theme, which probably won't become apparent near the end of the fic)

…...

The purple hero stood his ground, his eyes fixated on the enemy. He was much larger than the purple dragon, and much more experienced. Spyro would have to play it smart here.

In an explosion of raw power the older dragon charged him. He swiped to massive paws at the young hero, and Spyro responded in kind by parrying each blow with vicious headbutts. The other dragon reared up, ready to pound his smaller rival into the ground. Spyro rolled to the side, and then unleashed a blast of flame that coated the dragon.

Spyro recognized all too well what was about to happen. The dragon, still coated in flames, rushed him again. It was a frightening display of what his species could do. Despite this, Spyro charged as well, but instead of dodging and losing all of his momentum he struck back with a flurry of attacks, going for the legs and side.

The elder bellowed. "Good, good! When facing a larger opponent momentum is always your advantage." _How does he manage to be so calm?_ Titan smirked, blocking several of Spyro's blows. "But that momentum can be a great disadvantage."

Spyro charged at full force, intending to finally win a spar against the peacekeeper general. However, in a matter of seconds, the great peacekeeper extended his wings, flapped them upwards, and elegantly manipulated the air into promptly slamming Spyro to the ground, and then into a wall.

Spyro groaned, pulling himself out of the wall that his mentor had slammed him into. He flexed his muscles, making sure everything was intact. He looked himself over for good measure.

No longer was he the tiny purple dragon from his youth. Well, he was still small (and purple, for that matter). But his frame had become slightly more muscular, and his wings had elongated in response. His tail now served as an ample weapon, and his head was slightly smaller in proportion to his body.

Gone were the days of simply flaming and charging (though flaming and charging were the most fun)

Titan walked over to him with a calm expression, though his pride for his student was evident. "You're improving, though your form needs some work. Don't get so emotionally involved in battle." Spyro shuffled his feet impatiently at this. Titan chuckled. "I know, as dragons we are bull-headed and stubborn. But when we are fighting, we channel emotional energy only into our fire. When you are in a physical fight, all parts of you must be in balance." Titan extended his wings till they were in symmetry to illustrate his point.

"Okay, yeah, great. Now teach me that wind... thing."

"Ah, the air manipulation technique, discovered and perfected by Magic Crafters, if you believe it." The Peacekeeper scoffed as he mentioned the intellectual, sorcery wielding race of dragons. "But you can't learn it now. You need to know how to fly."

Spyro frowned. Flying still wasn't in his repertoire. He could hover for a couple seconds, but that was as far as it went. He wasn't particularly late in learning how to fly. In fact most dragons his age would still have trouble gliding. No, Spyro was just an impatient little drake.

Spyro was about to resume protesting but he was interrupted by a flap of wings. The figure of an aged Artisan entered into the training den.

_Uh oh._

Nesto gently approached the two, sizing up the situation before gathering his laurels and speaking. "Did it ever occur to you that in order to be the Midnight Mountain's Chief of Security, you had to be present in the realm?"

Spyro awkwardly shuffled his feet, knowing he had no real excuse for his actions. Thankfully, Titan stepped forward, addressing his old friend.

"Apologies Nestor. Your ward has a natural talent for combat, and I had to have a training session with him."

Nestor arched his eyebrow, though he could not mask his smile. Titan never changed. He could not fault him for being a teacher (an excellent one at that). His _student _on the other hand, had to be punished.

"Be that as it may, Spyro" he shot an accusing look at said purple dragon, "has an appointment with the Forgotten Realm's prime minister to-"

Spyro groaned. "Why? I _hate _her, and she hates me. Can't we just leave it at that? The only reason I haven't torched the witch is because of Hunter." Their last meeting had been less than friendly (Spyro fondly remembered Hunter telling him that she was still working on her new robe)

"_The meeting _is to determine the location of the next Elder's Summit. The council has determined that it would be good for... political relations if we staged it in the Forgotten Realms."

Titan nostrils flared in annoyance. "I thought we were done with politics Nestor. We've settled all the land disputes, what else is there?"

Nestor hesitated before speaking. Despite all his positive traits, Titan wasn't one for subtlety. "The council - not me - doesn't want the Forgotten Realms' populace to think our government is ignoring them."

Spyro barely restrained a groan (he did so simply to escape the vicious reprimand he would receive for being disrespectful), though his wings ruffled in impatience. He shot Nestor a 'let's get this over with look', and Nestor, with a hint of amusement in his eyes, nodded.

"Off we are then. Spyro, you can resume your training tomorrow. Right now, you've got a job to do." Nestor turned and walked away, headed for the portal to the Artisan homeworld. Spyro followed suit, a grouchy look on his face and a grouchy attitude to match.

He mused to himself, _Today is off to a __**great **__start._

…...

PLEASE REVIEW. It's only fair. Please, negative and positive feedback is appreciated. Any ideas or suggestions would also be WELCOMED. Your reviews are THE FUTURE! :P


	3. Chapter 3

I'm just gonna go right off the bat on this one. Alrighty. Oh, and BTW, having read Razzek's work before, I think she might like this chapta.

Spyro was displeased. Politics bored him. Bianca irked him. And Nestor was lecturing him.

"-we gave you are large responsibility in naming you High Security Chief of Midnight Mountain and all its provinces. I need you..." Nestor gave the purple drake a stern look, "to take your duty seriously. And however much you may dislike it, part of your duty involves making sure that this council goes off perfectly."

Spyro raised an eyebrow. Nestor normally wasn't this much of a 'sucker for the man'. Being a free-thinking and carefree Artisan by nature, he was normally relaxed, if a little bit stern. This Nestor was in full-on mentor mode.

"Perfectly?" He echoed.

Nestor's nostrils flared, as a dragon's did when they were annoyed. "Yes. Perfectly." He then added, "More depends on this summit than you know." He wentsilent for a moment, before quietly stating "We're here. Please _try _to act dignified."

Spyro blinked at the decidedly darker tone his surrogate father had adopted, but he shrugged off after a second of thought. He was Spyro, he could handle it. He always had before.

…...

"Do you have coordinates set on the right frequency 9?" His tiny hands shook. The sensitivity of this experiment was painstaking. He had to make sure every dial was tuned correctly and every diode was in the right place. The applications of this would be astounding, were his hypotheses to be proven correct. Oh, the applications!

"That's a 10-4 mother hen!"

"Wrong terminology son."

"I dunno, frag! Are we gonna do this or not prof? I thought we were gonna party-rock after this thing...!" The

The Professor facepalmed. How his lab assistant (read: test dummy) got such ideas into his head was beyond him. Sometimes the hyperactive monkey made up conversations that never even happened. Such was the case now.

The simian was currently hooked up to a variety of wires and nodes, all routed to one of his earlier models for the Super-Portal. The floor was was plain black, though odd lights sometimes emanated from random spots. Agent 9 had been told not to worry about those, but he had his doubts.

One last try, and if it didn't get through his head this time than he would have to take away the monkey's blaster for a week. And sell his lab off to Moneybags. "Are you ready 9?" Please say yes.

"Aye aye, _mon capitaine_!"

The Professor made a mental note to correct his younger protege's mixing and matching of languages at a later date. For now... "Activating in 3... 2... 1."

He flipped the switch, expecting the worst. Electricity was exchanged between Agent 9's suit and the Super-Portal, and for several moments the glowing Agent 9 had been worrying about stopped. Then...

9 disappeared in a flash of bizarre lights. The Professor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He had no reason to worry for his protege's safety. The monkey who had gone toe-to-toe with the Sorceress could handle more than a teleportation experiment gone wrong.

For several moments all was still, and then in rather loud bang and another psychedelic light show, Agent 9 reappeared, all the way across the room. The wires he had been connected to were fried, as was the Super-Portal and the aformentioned monkey's armor.

The singed Agent wobbled a bit before collapsing into a heap.

The Professor observed this, and then quietly jotted down several notes. He turned around, not bothering to check up on Agent 9, and slumped in his chair. He was surrounded by loads of paperwork, power bills, and lab reports. He hadn't had a successful test in weeks. The Professor only got by with grants from Avalar University, and at this rate they would cut him off within the next month! If only he could get this right. Oh, they had told him that portal-less dimensional travel was impossible, that the technology just wasn't there.

He had reasoned that perhaps if the power source was routed through a portal then he could get around such a travesty. He was half right, but they were also correct. The technology to do this succesfully... Just. Wasn't. There.

At this point the elderly mole was was rubbing his forehead furiously, a pounding headache forming in the back of his skull.

Only a knock on the door got the poor creature up. Hopefully it was some sort of intelligent company who wouldn't contribute to his migraine.

He turned the doorknob, which was just right for his height, and opened the door...

No one was there! "Damned kids. Don't they know that I OWN this island? Why I oughta-" His senior moment was interrupted, however, by a pair of green eyes and a shout...

"BOO!"

"AGH!"

The mole fell down, convinced that this was a break in, until he saw the intruder giggling. Like a giddy schoolgirl.

"Elora!" Elora had always had it out for him. From the time she was a little girl spending her spare time helping him in the lab, she had always had a penchant for practical jokes. She never did it to anyone else, though. It was always poor old Professor.

Elora stood there, with a wry grin on her face. She had not changed much since he had last seen her. She still wore the same attire, though the shade of green was slightly darker. He also noticed the faun had her hair cut a bit shorter. He never would understand the fashions these kids adopted.

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly, but the mole just ignored it. "What brings you here lass? Hopefully not another Breeze-Builder steam engine malfunction."

Her face went back to normal Elora. Professional, somewhat bossy, though kind. "No, no. Nothing like that. I just wanted to get your opinion on some data."

The frail mole pushed his glasses back up. "Data? For what?"

We've been getting some reports of odd seismic activity in Glimmer. There... was a cave in. No one was hurt, but the 'roos are freaking out. I brought some Diode's with me and they helped take some readings. They," her nose scrunched up in annoyance, "could read it, but they just spouted some technobabble. I need you to put it to me English."

She handed him a clipboard with several scatter-plots on it. A couple numbers were jotted down on the side. The Professor had no trouble reading it.

"Ah, I see it. These are some odd readings. The quakes were all very powerful, but they were very localized. Odd indeed" The Professor sat back and thought for several moments. I'm sorry Elora, but the only explanation I can offer you is that this is artificial. Someone or something is digging in these fragile caverns, and shacking the Earth while it is at it. "

She stood there in deep thought, absorbing the information. It wasn't that big of a deal. At worst the diggers might have to relocate a bit.

"Is there anything else dear?" her friend inquired.

She jolted out of her thoughts. ""No, I think that's it." She replied. Now was the time to make small talk. "How is everyone else?"

"Everyone else?"

"Y;know, Hunter, Bianca, Bentley, Shiela,..."

"Oh yes, them." At times the old mole got so caught up in his work that he forgot about the outside world. "They're doing fine, I suppose. Hunter and Bianca are busy running the Forgotten Worlds. Such a happy couple, those two. " He joyfully continued. "Bentley is the same as always, oh and Spyro!"

She froze at that name.

"He's the Midnight Mountain's Security Chief. So good to see he can be productive without starting wars!"

"Yes, that's... good." She wanted out. Now. But for the sake of the person she respected most in the world, she would continue.

"It is indeed! Last I heard the Dragon Elder's were going to have a meeting somewhere there. I'm sure the chap is going to be busy."

She narrowed her eyes. "Yes, Spyro has always been... busy." _Too busy_. "I've, uh, gotta go now. I'll call you later Prof."

The Professor gave her a curious look, and then waved her off. "Alright then. Stay safe!"

Her smile returned. She waved back. "I will! And you too Prof!"

That was... displeasing.

…...

_Hundreds of tons of rock came crashing down. All at his command. _

_ It was funny how little effort was required to move mountains when you were near-omniscient. _

_ Yes, this is where he had first been changed. Deep in this cavern. Surrounded by the gems, in their flawless beauty. _

_ Their beauty would not last. His rise was unstoppable. _

_ It was with laughter he charged the gems with his own life-force. They became twisted and black. The rocks screeched and moaned as they changed, changing shape into his progeny._

_ His army. _

…...

Whadja think? Good, bad? What could I improve? Please review. Your feedback is my sustenance.

As a side note, what happened to or whatever? I know the information there wasn't canon, but it was a delightful read? Where'd it go? Please do tell if you've got an idea of what happened.

Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

Back from the dead, yada yada. Life takes it's toll, y'know? Still, I am profusely sorry. So very sorry. :(

* * *

><p>"Glad to see the two of you could make it." Bianca tapped her (large) foot on the floor impatiently. Nestor gave her a sheepish look, whereas Spyro sneered at her.<p>

Bianca considered being the bigger person for a moment. For a moment. She promptly stuck her tongue out at the purple drake. Before he could respond in kind she turned on her heel and led the two dragons to the castle's inner sanctum.

_I'll say this much, the witch has cleaned the place up real nice._ Spyro mused to himself. The Sorceress' visage was once prevalent on every wall, flag, and souvenir t-shirt. Bianca had gotten rid of those ugly reminders and kept the palace looking much more modest. Where Rhynocs had paraded about there were now numerous races scattering around, all contributing to the Forgotten Realm's government.

Nestor and Bianca had remained deathly quiet, Nestor for fear of stirring up conflict, while Bianca was silently fuming at herself for organizing this little meet and greet. Spyro would never be able to keep this formal.

"Here we are." She muttered distractedly, opening the door to the inner sanctum. This area had not changed as much. Spyro had made sure to leave his mark. Across the area there were numerous scorch marks and cracked granite.

Spyro recalled with a smirk, this was where he'd beaten the Sorceress (or the first time around anyway). Before he could stop himself, the drake found himself quipping.

"Haven't found the time to clean up the mess I made Bianca? I must have burned the old girl harder than I thought. Its a shame really, I mean, your master must've- YEOW!" Spyro's barrage of smart-alek-ness was cut short by Nestor whacking him upside the head with his tail. Bianca shot him a glare and then continued onward. Nestor shook his head and mouthed the word "civil" to him.

Bianca conjured a whirwind that took them up to one of the sanctum's and then into one of the surrounding towers.

"This is my office. Have a seat." Nestor stifled a laugh while Spyro snorted at the comment, not bothering to snark back.

"Okay, lets get down to business." She motioned for them to sit (watching the two quadrupedal dragons try comfortably situate themselves in chairs meant for bipeds was amusing, to say the least). "The Elder's Summit is in a month, and we got exactly," She glanced up at the clock to see how long this appointment would last, "2 hours to decide on an appropriate location to house the event. I was thinking Crystal Islands. The scenery is-"

"Irrelevant." Spyro butted in. "Too damp and..." Spyro searched for an appropriate word. "Gaudy. Too gaudy. Dragons want to be comfy." Nestor rolled his eyes at his protege's rashness. Spyro smirked all the same. "I was thinking Magma Cone."

"Magma Cone! The boars will wreck the assembly, and there's lava! Lava!" Bianca exclaimed.

"Pshh. I'll deal with the boars." Nestor rolled his eyes again. "And besides, dragons like lava. We love the heat!" Spyro flapped let a wisp of flame out of his mouth to illustrate the point. Bianca scrambled to put out any flames that might've sparked on her papers.

"Don't do that!" She gave him another glare. "And you're not thinking practically!" Nestor sighed. Today was going to be a very long day.

* * *

><p>Vicious winds buffeted the icy mountain, keeping the frozen hunk of rock cold as ever. Bentley didn't mind. He liked the cold.<p>

Nonetheless, the Yeti couldn't help but hold himself tight. The cold was fine, but this wind was threatening to send him down the mountain into the foggy depths below (he always did wonder what was down there, but he'd rather not take the plunge to find out).

He twirled his crystalline club in his hand, and then angled at the little bit of sunlight that was cutting through the snowy clouds. The light reflected, allowing Bentley to signal his comrade. It wasn't long until his friend came barreling down, the familiar green helmet and dark blue, squat body headed right for him.

Performing a brief hover on the ground and saluting his subordinate, Sgt. Bryd had arrived.

"What have you to to promulgate companion?" Byrd cringed at the vocabulary, but got the gist of it.

"Nothing but snow in East, North, and West. There are a group of Southern caves though. Perhaps the bastards are hiding out there?" Byrd took a moment to remove his helmet and dust the snow off. They'd gone on this little trip to rid themselves of the feral yeti's that had been wreaking havoc in and around Bentley's home. Byrd, no longer surrounded by Rhynoc forces, jumped at the chance for action. Admittedly, he hadn't anticipated how plain boring the trip might be.

Their search had not gone well. The mountain's outlying Bentley's outpost were harder to scale then Bentley was used to, and the feral yeti's were masters at hiding their tracks.

Bentley gave a nod. "A most practical and worthy thesis. I will proceed to scour the caverns. If I do not make contact in the allotted time of 10 minutes, please do bring in the cavalry."

With another salute, Byrd sailed into the sky, leaving Bentley alone to face the mountain.

* * *

><p>"No, no, nononono!"<p>

"Yes, yes, YES!"

"Bad idea, nuh-uh."

"A bad idea is arguing with me witch! Ask your old robes!"

Bianca narrowed her eyes. "I was on the wrong side then! You wouldn't dare now..."

Nestor slammed his tail between the two (inadvertently breaking Bianca's desk). "No, he wouldn't." Wiping the sweat off his brow with his wing, Nestor spoke softly, not wanting to aggravate the two anymore. "We came to a decision twenty minutes ago. What compels you two to argue?"

Spyro snorted. "Oh yeah."

Bianca glared at him. "I haven't done anything. He just wants to argue because he doesn't trust me."

"Too true. If I liked you, I wouldn't argue with you." Spyro countered. His paper-thin patience long broken . If Sparx were here he might be less on edge (the dragonfly had quite a way with words for a creature that couldn't speak to anyone but Spyro), but right now the dragon was angry. Angry enough to-

"That's it, I'm bailing."

"To where?" Nestor inquired, though any break from the yelling was a blessing.

Spyro approached the window, preparing to glide down. "I'm gonna scout out the location, make sure it is secure." He gave Bianca a smart-ass smirk. "I'm sure you could appreciate the attention to detail, your sorceress-ness." Without further ado, he leapt off the balcony and swooped out of the building, leaving a very irritated rabbit and an exasperated elder.

* * *

><p>Bentley watched the cave's perimeter with mild interest. The beasts who may or may not inhabit posed him little danger, but they had threatened his kin numerous times, and thus had to be scared off, as far away from his outpost as they could be. Club in hand, he approached the darkness, teetering his weapon of choice from one hand to another.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Darkness surrounded him. Inside his current dwelling it was cold and hard, but this concerned him little. All he sought were answers. His world had changed in his absence, and he needed to know why.<em>

_All the primal beasts in this cave had given him no answers and were thus deemed useless. Their deaths were inevitable anyways, so he simply spared them the pain of living and suffering._

_Crouching low, examining the cave entrance from afar, he noticed a figure approaching. It carried itself proudly, and held its weapon with confidence. A sentient creature._

_Good. This one would provide him with answers. Swiflty, silently, he approached._

* * *

><p>Bentley had but a second to adjust his eyes to the darkness before he was tackled with a force he could only describe as "gratuitous". His attacker had been very quiet in its approach and wasted no time in pinning him to the ground. Serrated claws painfully dug themselves into his skin, and the animal positioned itself so that Bentley had not a single opportunity for escape. Whatever it was, it hadn't made a sound, and if Bentley didn't know any better he'd have said it wasn't breathing at all.<p>

Whatever tackled him was large and definitely not a yeti. Bentely could make out wings and serpentine neck and head. A dragon.

The drake spoke, its voice rough and distorted. "What is the name of this realm?" Bentley continued to struggle, pinned as he was. "Answer." It pressed on. Normally Bentley would have formed an intelligent and thought provoking reply, but as this chap didn't seem like one for a small talk, he thought a punch to the face would suffice.

The dragon backed off, the uppercut jarring him. Bentley leapt back, immediately arming himself with his club. He swung it in a wide arc, again hitting the dragon.

Flapping its deep purple wings, the drake put some distance between the yeti and itself, each flap blowing dust at his attacker to disorient him. Bentley brought his club up to shield his face, peeking out slightly to keep an eye on the beast. The drake reared its head back, before a stream of blue flame erupted from his maw.

Bentley reacted, spinning his club furiously to disperse the fire. The cavern was illuminated in blue light, giving Bentley a clear look for the first time. He took care to notice some stalactites. The fire stopped, and the dragon charged, bounding towards the yeti, its sharp claws causing sparks to fly as they scraped across the floor. Bentley though fast and launched the club.

The monster's eyes widened at the weapon flying straight at him. It hit, striking him straight in the face, and he slumped to the ground unceremoniously. Bentley swiftly jumped to the top, swinging from dripstone to dripstone. He glanced down and saw the beast had quickly recovered, and had set to blasting the cavern's top with its powerful blue flame in an attempt to spot its opponent. Knowing that his window of opportunity had come to a close, Bentley use all his momentum and strength to slam into a large stalactite knocking it loose and sending the formation plummeting down.

The dragon, once again back on the defensive, took to flight, soaring high past Bentley, who was currently holding onto the falling stalactite for dear life. Reaching the very top, the beast surveyed the area briefly before tucking its wings in and dropping down.

The drake tackled Bentley from above, shattering the falling dripstone and slamming him into the ground and forming a small crater.

The two became locked in hand-to-hand combat. Even without the aid of his club, Bentley was a formidable opponent, and he gave the dragon no opening to use its fire breath. Bentley gave the dragon a one-two punch right in the chest, and then proceeded to give it a quick chop across the shoulders with his massive arms. The monstrous drake took no respite and swung its tail around twice, dodging and attacking at the same time. Bentley ducked and weaved past the tail's purple tip, which looked more like a blade than the traditional arrowhead most dragons had.

The dragon made one last stab with his tail, which Bentley dodged. Bentley took a combat stance ready strike back when he was met head on with a purple horn. It struck him across the face and sent him reeling back into the wall. The dragon followed this up with a swift jab with the thumb claw on its wing, slashing the yeti's chest. With one last forceful thrust with its paw, the yeti was put down, defeated.

"Now," it growled, its voice finally taking form. The drake had a deep, suave voice, each syllable carrying a slight rumble from its throat. "Answer my queries, and your death will not be unimaginably painful." He applied a bit of pressure to assert his dominance. "What realm are we in?"  
>Bentley coughed, starring up at his captor with a smirk. He had no idea why this dragon was asking such odd questions, but that wasn't going to prevent him from making himself an inconvenience. "Why, we are in the region which, upon further consideration, has no official designation."<br>The dragon quirked his head, letting the yeti's words soak in, before delivering another jab to Bentley's face. "Quit prattling and answer." He demanded. When Bentley remained silently, he though about trying another route. "Who is the... ruler of this realm?"

Bentley furrowed his brow, as if in deep thought. After several moments of consideration, he answered.

"My ass!"

THWACK!

Another jab to the face. A demonic growl echoed from the drake, the monster's way of saying his patience was running very, very, thin. Now Bentley was not some debilitated cub, but he knew when he was beaten. Plus, his intelligence told him, the dragon would likely find out the information he wanted regardless. Why he was asking such strange questions was beyond the yeti, but it was not information that was worth dying over.

So he relented. "We don't have much of a leadership right now. We've got a Prime Minister, but she hasn't been given that much power." Bentley choked out. A long pause succeeded his answer.

"No High Sorceress?" The dragon sounded much gentler now, as if some terrible news had been broken to him.

"Not for the past seven months, no." The dragon's grip had relaxed, and Bentley had slowly inched up into a sitting position.

A feral growl radiated from the dragon, a he pushed Bentley back down again. Craning his neck close to the yeti's face, he spoke again. "What happened?" it demanded.

Once again Bentley was relegated to squeaking an answer out under the claw of his adversary. "Overthrown."

"By who?"

Bentley knew this was dangerous territory, he knew that he shouldn't give someone so dangerous the name of his friend. But Bentley also knew he had a big mouth. "Spyro." He said, before he could even realize what he had uttered.

The drake retracted his neck, and paused, thinking for several moments. The slight violet glow that had inhabited its eyes pulsed for a moment, in anger Bentley presumed. It turned back to him. "Thank you for your services." It spoke now in a clipped tone, as if it were holding back its anger. The bladed tail raised. "Now die."

Bentley smirked. "Not on this day, my good reptile."

Two rockets slammed into the dragon's side, barreling him into the other side of the cavern.

Bentley got up, and looked upon his savior. "You paced yourself quite well, my sphenisciform friend." He grunted, nodding at Byrd.

The penguin smiled jovially. "I work with military precision- DOWN!" Both Byrd and Bentley ducked as the dragon leapt over their heads, claws fully extended. The monster missed his targets and sailed into the cavern's side, creating a significant crater in the wall.

Byrd did not hesitate to fire on the dragon. Rocket after rocket flew towards the creature. With serpentine elegance he managed to weave past most of them. Eye's narrowed in insensate rage, the drake plummeted down, bearing ontop of the penguin.

THWACK!

The red dragon staggered back, the powerful blow dazing him. Bentley, having regained his club, stood defensively in front of his friend. The dragon glowered at them, regaining its bearings.

Shouting in panic, though still keeping his infamous silver tongue, Bentley yelled, "Atomize him at this moment!"

"Roger!" Byrd hopped onto his friend's shoulder and unleashed another volley of rockets. Round after round colliding into his crimson hide, the dragon decided now was good time to retreat. He had work to do.

An explosion of blue fire came towards Byrd and Bentley. The two dove out of the way as a blurr of red sailed over them, flying out into the cold blizzard.

Patting some dust off of his helmet, Byrd looked to the yeti. "What was all that about?"

* * *

><p>Desert Ruins. Home to giant scorpions, green lava-esque stuff, and sharks made of metal.<p>

An ideal place for a summit of elderly dragon politicians.

Regardless, the old structures would make for a grand meeting place. The crumbling statues and coliseums were aesthetically pleasing and would provide adequate shelter. Or so Bianca had said, Spyro thought bitterly. All that mattered to him was that it was hot. Dragons like the heat. Had something to do with the whole "breathing fire" thing, or something. Spyro wasn't sure on the specifics.

Gliding from rock face to rock face, Spyro scouted the terrain. Hmm. Need something to support those pillars. Spyro remembered how, on his first visit here, he had nearly sunk into the lava there.

Thankfully, that was the only holdover from those days. The majority of the scorpions and golems were gone. All of the remaining treasure hunters had dug the place dry and left, leaving an empty set of structures.

Soaring into an empty chasm, Spyro stopped, tail twitching. He heard something. The sound of rock-on-rock, a sharp noise. He turned trying to identify the source.

Out of the chasm's walls a stone monster stepped. It was unlike any golem that Spyro had seen. While the others were roughly boulders on legs, this one was sharp and angular. As it made a step toward Spyro, it occurred to him it wasn't made of stone. The way the light reflected off of it, the creature looked to made of a pure black gem. Spyro narrowed his eyes, and the gem-creature seemed to stare back. The two shallow pits on it's diamond shaped head ignited with purple electricity, locked on the young dragon.

With swift, robotic movements it approached Spyro. Spyro, for his part, didn't concede an inch, up until the thing was five feet from him. It looked down at him and raised its crystalline arm up high, ready to strike first. Without a moment's hesitation, Spyro responded. He spat orange flame at the creature, until it was completely consumed by the fire.

Acrid smoke blocked his vision, and the young drake flapped his wings several times so he could observe the remains of his handiwork. The thing, whatever it was, glowed from the heat, as if it had been tossed into a smelting pit. But even as it lay in a molten slump, it moved. Whatever crystals remained that weren't glowing were shimmering. In a matter of seconds, the rest of the body too shimmered. A flash of light blinded Spyro for a moment, leading him to paw at his eyes roughly. He squinted, opening his eyes, though they were widened at his next sight.

The creature was back, and fully formed.

_It's going to be a long day._


	5. Chapter 5

Spyro the dragon is not one one to stand on ceremony. Eyeing the reformed crystal golem marching towards him, he figured it'd be best to smack this guy down once more. Dashing forward, he rammed the crystal golem, a loud crack resounding from the impact. Sliding along the dirt, he turned back to see there was little impact. The creature just turned to face him and began to advance again._ It's slow, so I just need to keep hitting it and then run off_. If Sparx were here, Spyro imagined he would tease him for going along with the time-honored tradition of hitting things until they broke.

But today, Spyro was alone.

Spyro charged again, hitting it at an angle, once more sliding along the desert sand. And yet again, there was no real damage inflicted. He'd just have to keep hammering away.

And hammer away he did. Several more times Spyro tackled the immovable object, each time doing little more than wearing himself out. The black warrior seemed to stare at Spyro impassively through tiny slits on it's five-sided head.

Spyro panted and flapped his wings. "Not exactly in my Top Ten Battles, but still, I'll give ya' props for being straightforward." The golem cocked it's head at the dragon, as if it were a puppy, before doing something decidedly not straightforward. Raising it's arms, the crystals at the ends of it's limbs folded back, revealing a myriad of smaller crystals. Spyro raised an eyebrow at this. "Uh, nice, I guess?" Each point of black gem launched out and streaked directly towards the young dragon.

Spyro rolled, something he had rather enjoyed doing down the Artisan hills during his youth. Diving forward, head tucked down, he rushed his adversary again, hitting it square in the legs. The gem-monster teetered on it's crystal legs before falling down. Spyro immediately bore down upon it, blasting flame onto the prone form.

With uncharacteristic speed, the golem's arm snapped forward, grabbing Spyro by the head. While the drake was still spitting flame at it, it rose to it's feet and slammed the young one into the ground. Spyro attempted to scramble to his feet in vain, but the golem slammed it's crystalline fist down into his face. And again. And again. The tip of Spyro's horn splintered, and he tasted blood in his mouth.

Spyro had faced numerous enemies in his time. There was the Gnasty Gnorc Test, one constructed for young dragons to prove their worth. The combat was simulated, but painful. Then there had been Avalar. He'd been smacked around a good deal there, and the fight with Gulp had left him especially fried. And then here, in the Forgotten Worlds, he had shed his blood for the future of his species. The battle against Spike was arduous, even with Sgt. Byrd's help, and the Sorceress had left him broken for a week. Yes, Spyro was no stranger to being beat at one point or another during a fight. The tides of battle were ever shifting, or at least that's what Titan said. And here, lying in the dirt, Spyro wondered what the Peacekeeper leader would do. Using Momentum had failed him, fire was only a temporary setback to his enemy, and close quarters combat got him where he was now.

To die here in the sand, without Sparx, or Hunter, or even… or even Elora, was not a pleasant line of thought. _The sand_ Spyro thought, inspiration striking him. Something he had learned in the Beast Makers was to never, ever neglect the importance of your environment. And today, that lesson might just save him.

The crystal juggernaut ceased wailing on the dragon, and took several steps back. Again opening up it's arms to reveal the gem-missiles, it took aim and fired, the shards exploding into bursts of purple electricity.

As the dust cleared, it stepped forward to examine it's handiwork. Instead of an corpse, the gem monster found… nothing. Just charred dirt. The golem had little time to dwell on this, as from underneath it fire surged, exploding out of the ground. And along with it came a purple dragon still very much in the fight. Spyro lashed out with tail and kicked at his adversary, before rolling in midair and landing on his feet. Summoning what little strength he had left, he shoved against the gem warrior, pushing it towards a cliff face. Spyro's feet dug into the ground and his wings flapped, mustering one final shove and sending the enemy over the edge.

The golem fell, plummeting into the bottomless expanse below. Spyro gave out a long sigh, tired. He took several unsteady steps forward, legs shaking from exertion, before collapsing. As his vision began to fade out, he managed to just barely glimpse of yellow light, and hear the gentle words, "Let's get you someplace safe, brother."

Of course, anyone else would've just heard unintelligible buzzes.

* * *

><p><em>He observed the demise of his creation, falling down into oblivion, destined to expire eventually.<em>

_It had been easy enough to track this "Spyro." In what little time he had been awake, he had managed to plant gemseeds in every world he had visited. One day, they would grow into his progeny. But for now, they functioned as more than adequate listeners. The hero was rather noisy, and there was always talk of where his next patrol was._

_They young drake fought impressively, with wits and courage befitting a dragon warrior, even if he was an Artisan, of all things. He would have to take care of Spyro himself._

_He just had to wait until his target was out in the open. And that, well that wouldn't be too hard at all, he chuckled to himself._

* * *

><p>"How did you find him?" The Professor asked, patching Spyro up with an array of bandages, slings, and chemicals. He meekly opened the dragon's mouth, being careful to avoid those sharp teeth, and poured a potion down his throat. Behind him his lab's medical machinery buzzed and beeped, displaying technobabble none of the lab's current residents were interested in.<p>

Spark buzzed fervently to his right, whilst Zoe translated to his left. "It's a kind of a homing instinct dragonflies have for their dragon. As soon as Sparx felt Spyro getting pummeled, he panicked. He practically flipped over the table at the Tiki Lodge." She huffed, "Which reminds me, we didn't get the chance to pay for our meal, so I hope you plan on going back there." She glared at her consort, but Spark was far too wrapped up in how his dragon was doing.

"Yes, well, the matter of settling your tab at Molten Crater will have to wait. As for Spyro," the elderly mole swiped his hands together, pleased with himself "he will be fine. He just needs a couple days' rest. Not that that will stop him. He should wake up any minute now."

"Gunter glieben glauchen globen!" Zoe and Sparx turned toward the sudden outburst to find Agent 9 lying on a bed similar to the one Spyro found himself in now, though he was restrained by way of handcuffs. The monkey had, as was typical, a manic look in his eyes and a cocksure grin on his face.

"What's his deal?" Zoe asked.

"Teleportation accident resulting in mild psychological trauma, nothing to worry about!" The Professor chirped, not even bothering to turn around. "Now, do we know what did this to Spyro? You said you found him in Desert Ruins. I'd thought he was experienced enough to handle the scorpions."

This launched Sparx into another fit of buzzes as Zoe attempted to placate him. "I - we - don't think a scorpion did this to Spyro. Whatever it was, it left behind a lot of residual magic in the area." Zoe shivered. "Sparx felt it too. It was… _wrong._"

"Hmm." The Professor thoughtfully rubbed his chin, pondering the possibilities. "I'll need to run some tests then."

"That's gonna have to wait doc." Spyro croaked, attempting a stretch only to find that caused him great pain. "Yee-ouch! So that's what a wounded pride feels like. Never felt that before."

Sparx rushed over to his dragon, cooing gently and bonking heads with him. The Professor eased Spyro back down onto the bed, scolding him. "No, err, that would be what three broken ribs feels like. Now that you're awake, what exactly did this to you?"

Spyro shook his head, unsure himself. "Some kinda gem-monster thingy. It was black, tough, and could shoot missiles… so there's that."

The Professor frowned. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with anything matching that description m'boy. I think it would be best if I ran some scans on you, see what exactly is giving our more 'in-tune' friends the heebie-jeebies." The Professor shot Spyro a pleading look, but the dragon would have none of it. Over on the other end of the room, Agent 9 was staring at a screen. Suddenly, he began singing, if one could call it that;

"Someone's at the door PRO-FES-SOR! Someone's at the door I KNO-O-O-OW!"

Ignoring him, Spyro began to argue. "Listen Professor, I appreciate the concern, I really do. But I've still got patrols to do, and I really can't sit around in a lab, especially if more of those... those things are out there. I'm sorry, but I can't."

The Professor didn't like to argue. By nature, he was agreeable and concerned only with his studies. But nature does not trump nurture, and Spyro was a dear friend who needed to be nursed back to health. "Spyro please, you'll only do more harm than good gallivanting around in your current state. Please, lay down and let me look at you in more detail."

"Look, I'm feeling better already, especially with Spark right here by my side again." Spyro tossed his dragonfly a friendly nod, causing the guardian to beam with pride.

"But I'm sure Sparx doesn't want you to get injured even more, isn't that right Sparx?" The dragonfly considered this for a moment, before nodding vigorously.

Zoe fluttered over, taking hold of Sparx and guiding him away. "Let's not put Sparx in the middle of this."

Spyro puffed smoke, getting fed up with this entire situation. What was it with people disagreeing with him today? "I've gotta go. You comin', Sparx?"

Sparx looked conflicted for a moment, before giving Zoe a quick peck on the cheek and shooting right next to his dragon's shoulder.

"She's heeeeere!" Agent 9 cackled, once again ignored. Spyro and his companion rounded the corner, coming face to face with a pair of shocked emerald eyes belonging to a faun he knew all too well.

Elora looked nice, great in fact. So it wasn't purely the shock at seeing her that stopped Spyro in his tracks. Her beauty gave him pause too. Auburn hair and fur, gentle features on her face, and of course, the green eyes.

_Those are some pretty eyes,_ he thought to himself dreamily. The beauty of the moment, sadly, was lost on Elora. Her face scrunched up, in - what? Disgust? Anger? Sadness? Spyro didn't yet know. All he knew was that she lifted her right hoof and smashed it into his face.

Yup. Definitely anger.

* * *

><p><strong>I believe this is what they call "making up for lost time." Feels good, I think.<strong>

**If Elora seems somewhat OOC, that will be explained next time. Regarding the "Gnasty Gnorc Test," that was actually a feature of a fic on here long, long ago. It made a pretty compelling case for the first Spyro Game being a simulation, and since I read it at a young age its stuck with me ever since.**

** If you've got any questions, comments, or critiques, DO NOT HESITATE TO REVIEW. ****Oh, and if you never rolled down that hill in the Artisan Homeworld, I pity you, for your's was truly a joyless childhood.**


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